German Studies | Today at Elon | þ /u/news Thu, 16 Apr 2026 20:03:42 -0400 en-US hourly 1 Evan Gatti publishes interdisciplinary book on medieval bishops /u/news/2026/03/16/evan-gatti-publishes-interdisciplinary-book-on-medieval-bishops/ Mon, 16 Mar 2026 13:45:20 +0000 /u/news/?p=1041597 Professor of Art History Evan Gatti and Angelo Silvestri, school of modern languages, Cardiff University, published Episcopal Power and Patronage in Medieval Europe, 998–1503.

 (Brepols, 2026) is derived from the third and fourth installations of the  conference. The purpose of the conference was to examine how the bishop, one of the key characters in the administration of medieval Europe, shaped how medieval European history has been recorded and remembered. Bolstered by the sense that the bishop, as an organizing idea, matters, the inaugural conference, In the Hands of God’s Servants, sought to examine the construction, enhancement, and expression of episcopal power at a local level. Papers selected and adapted for publication appeared in , which offers microhistories of episcopal power and authority, fracturing what we know about the bishop into episodes that represent dioceses and dependents, and the individuals that ran them. The singularity of these stories inspired the subject of the second conference on Episcopal Personalities. Papers from this conference were published in , which explored the work and responsibilities of the bishop, how a bishop’s persona shaped his approach to the episcopal office, and how a bishop’s charisma affected the way in which he was received or remembered by the communities he served.

Analysis of the bishop’s personality encouraged the organizers to mine the slippery space between the office and the man, not only for the ways this space elides differences between the episcopal personae of priest, pastor, or prince, but also because the space sheds light on from where— or from whom — a bishop’s power derived. The third conference, The Bishop as Diplomat, took up this question as its focus, turning away from the bishop as an agent for and as himself, to the bishop’s role as a representative of the power and authority of others. The papers offered at this conference examined how bishops developed the skills and tactics needed for diplomacy, as well as how and when these skills were deployed, and in what circumstances. They also explored what it meant for a bishop, who was already representing an office beyond himself, to be a diplomat, which often required the bishop to re-present someone else.

Two years later, organizers turned to a theme that had been at the edge of each of the previous conferences: the Bishop as Patron. This conference focused on visual, material and social expressions of episcopal power as well as how those expressions were managed to ensure the legitimacy or the legacy of a bishop. Papers examined traditional examples of patronage, such as those demonstrated through the construction, expansion, and renovation of buildings and the production and reception of manuscripts. The papers asked how and with whom bishops built relationships, and how those relationships were maintained (or neglected).

The essays selected from these last two conferences were edited, expanded and combined into a single volume. Together, they offer a broad overview of how relational culture defines how, why, and for whom bishops work.

is divided into four parts. The introduction, authored by Gatti and Silvestri, explains how this book, the last in the “Power of the Bishop” series, responds to and expands on the usefulness of the “bishop” as a category of scholarly focus. Next, a prologue by Philippa Byrne asks, “What was Episcopal about Episcopal Patronage?” The remaining essays are divided into two sections. The first section, “Episcopal Patronage as Re/Presentation”, foregrounds the material aspects of episcopal patronage, such as churches, manuscripts, hagiographies, rites, rituals, frescoes, windows and tombs. This section includes a chapter by Gatti, “Diplomatic Gestures: Art and Ambivalence in Eleventh-Century Italy”, in which she compares visual images of the bishop to the embodied language of diplomatic gestures. The final section, “Patronizing Bishops: Clients, Diplomats, Allies, and Rivals”, examines episcopal patronage as an extension of episcopal relationships with families, kings, emperors, and clients, with predecessors and successors, as alliances and antagonisms, and between bishops and their congregations, as well as the monastic and secular clergy.

Creating a coherent collection in a field as broad and disparate as medieval studies can be challenging. In fact, the hardships experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic, prohibitions for travel, the closure of archives and libraries across the UK, Europe, and North America, as well as the crises in higher education and funding cuts for scholarly work, made completing this book particularly difficult. In fact, it was because of these challenges that a decision was made to publish papers from the 2017 and 2019 conferences together after plans for a separate volume fell through. This effort fulfilled a commitment made by the conveners to publish high-quality scholarly papers that had been selected and expanded for publication.

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Four Elon alumnae selected for the Fulbright U.S. Student Program /u/news/2025/06/19/four-elon-alumnae-selected-for-the-fulbright-u-s-student-program/ Thu, 19 Jun 2025 13:07:45 +0000 /u/news/?p=1020644 Three members of the Class of 2025 and one member of the Class of 2020 have been selected as finalists for the Fulbright U.S. Student Program. Founded in 1946, the Fulbright Program is the U.S. government’s flagship international educational exchange program designed to cross-cultural exchange and mutual understanding for the promotion of a more peaceful world. Finalists are not just funded to teach or research—they are expected to serve as valuable cultural ambassadors in their respective host countries, both representing the United States and learning about their new communities.

Elon has been repeatedly recognized for the number of its alumni who participate in the Fulbright Program as teachers and researchers and has been named a top-producer of Fulbright students in six separate years. This year, 50% of Elon’s 28 applicants were named semi-finalists in January.

The Fulbright Program has experienced unprecedented disruptions since January 2025. The review process, which is governed by extensive and detailed treaties between the US and host countries, requires an initial US review phase (during which semi-finalists are determined) followed by host-country review phase (during which the finalists are determined). This process ensured that host communities have the final say in which applicants are selected. This year, the host-country review phase was, according to multiple reports from host countries, followed by an additional round of scrutiny by the US State Department, and some host countries reported that upwards of 40% of their selected applicants were rejected. It is unclear if fewer grants were awarded overall as a result of this scrutiny.

A significant portion of the Fulbright U.S. Student Program staff were furloughed in March, which led to severe delays in fund dispersal and finalist announcements. This month, the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board, the presidentially-appointed board of directors that oversees the Fulbright Program, but is not responsible for its day-to-day operations, overwhelmingly voted to resign in response to the Trump Administration’s interference in the 2025 review process. The future of congressional funding for Fulbright remains in question.

Those who received awards this year are:

Margo Buchanan ‘25

Margo Buchanan ’25

A double major in theatrical design & technology and political science with a minor in German studies, Margo Buchanan has been selected for a Fulbright grant to teach English in Germany. She is from Raleigh, North Carolina.

A Phi Beta Kappa graduate, Buchanan took every opportunity she could while at Elon to learn about Germany. She conducted two-years of independent research about opera scenic design in Germany as an Elon College Fellow, served as president of the German Club, and spent a semester studying abroad in Heidelberg, Germany. It was her semester abroad that inspired her to return to the region after graduation.

In addition to the Fulbright US Student Program in Germany, Buchanan was selected for the Teaching Assistantship Program of the Austrian Federal Ministry of Education (BMB), administered by Fulbright Austria. She will spend this summer working as a stage crew lead for the Santa Fe Opera before heading to Austria to teach English, where she is eager to build on the þ and mentoring experience she began in high school.

Buchanan’s Elon mentors include her German professors, Kristin Lange and Scott Windham, and Luis Silva, technical director for the Department of Performing Arts.

Rachel Maccini ‘25

Rachel Maccini ’25

Rachel Maccini, a double major in special education and middle grades mathematics with minors in psychology and German studies, has been selected for a Fulbright grant to teach English in Germany. The Phi Beta Kappa and Omicron Delta Kappa graduate is from Westford, Massachusetts.

At Elon, Maccini was a dedicated student educator who also served as the captain for the Elon Cheer Team. She blended her interests in þ with German studies, serving as a þ and learning assistant for a German language course and earning entry into Delta Phi Alpha, the National German Honor Society. Maccini’s desire to live in Germany after graduation was solidified during her Winter Term course in Germany, and the Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship in Germany is what she describes as “the perfect fit.” After Fulbright, she plans to return to the US to work in education and hopes to utilize her experiences in German classrooms to support multilingual and neurodiverse students.

Maccini’s most influential Elon mentor is Kristin Lange, who initially encouraged her to apply for Fulbright.

“Dr. Kristin Lange has made a huge impact on me,” said Maccini. “Her love for the German language and her passion for þ are truly contagious. Anyone who takes a class with her can feel it.”

Cristy Mariné ‘25

Cristy Mariné ’25

A double major in cinema & television arts (BFA) and strategic communications, Cristy Mariné has been selected for a Fulbright grant to pursue a master’s degree in creative industries at the University of Exeter in the United Kingdom. She is from Caracas, Venezuela and Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Mariné was a highly engaged Elon student who completed five internships—including one in Los Angeles with E! News, and another with a photography studio in Sorrento, Italy—and directed three short films. One in particular, “Corazones Dulces,” centered on a Latina who grieves the loss of her grandmother through baking, and was the only film in Spanish at 2024 Cinelon Film Festival. The master’s in creative industries at Exeter, which will allow her to blend creative and business courses while interning with a British creative agency, is the natural next step in Mariné’s goal of making short films that tell authentic stories about underrepresented groups.

Mariné’s constellation of mentors is wide, including Staci Saltz, Youseff Osman, Kai Swanson, Jessalyn Strauss, Sylvia Muñoz and MJ Larrazabal.

“All of my mentors at Elon have challenged me in ways that have helped me grow into the person I am today, she said. “For that, I am forever grateful.”

Celia Roskin ’20

Celia Roskin ’20

Celia Roskin, an elementary education major (policy studies minor) from the class of 2020, has been selected for a Fulbright grant to teach English in Taiwan. She is from Durham, North Carolina.

At Elon, Roskin cultivated her passions for þ, language learning and cross-cultural exchange. She spent a Winter Term in Malawi þ English to primary school students and a summer in Cordoba, Argentina, taking Spanish language classes at the local university. She also completed the Peace Corps Prep Program and volunteered with the Village Project and the Boys and Girls Club. These experiences prepared her for her current role as an Educational Resources Specialist at the Library of Congress, where she creates, coordinates and facilitates professional development for educators by utilizing primary sources from the Library’s collections.

“I continue to feel a calling to classroom þ,” she explained. “I’m ready to get out of my comfort zone and explore a new culture and different approaches to early education.”

A year as an English þ assistant in Taiwan will allow Roskin to expand her þ philosophy and pedagogy while exploring the Taiwanese approach to literacy education. She plans to return to the Library of Congress with new skills and resources to provide for US educators.

Roskin’s Elon mentors include education professors Erin Hone and Marna Winter.

Elon students and alumni interested in the Fulbright program or other nationally competitive fellowships are invited to contact the National and International Fellowships Office.

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Dr. Alyssa Romano ’16 cares for children, community in Friedrichshafen, Germany /u/news/2024/10/29/dr-alyssa-romano-16-cares-for-children-community-in-friedrichshafen-germany/ Tue, 29 Oct 2024 15:17:49 +0000 /u/news/?p=998863 Not long into Alyssa Romano’s pediatrics residency at a hospital in Friedrichshafen, Germany, a teenager arrived presenting puzzling symptoms.

He was weak, coughing and short of breath but didn’t display outward signs of disease or illness. Otherwise healthy and lithe, he should have been on his feet. When Romano examined him, she couldn’t hear breathing in his right lung.

a woman in scrubs holds an infant in a hospital
Alyssa Romano ’16 is one year into a five-year pediatrics residency in Friedrichshafen, Germany.

Perplexed, she filed through the medical training she received at Eberhard Karls Universität in Tübingen, Germany. Then she hit upon the relatively rare cause: a pneumothorax — when air trapped in the cavity outside a lung creates pressure that causes it to collapse. Romano and physicians repaired the lung, and a few days later he left the intensive care unit to return to an active life.

“It felt like all the study, training and work I’d done had come to fruition and prepared me to do my job well,” said Romano, a Lumen Scholar who graduated from Elon in 2016 with a biochemistry degree and a minor in German studies before following those paths into a medical career overseas.

Medical school is already intense: arduous studies, research and long hours in post-doctoral residency. Romano — a native of Allentown, Pennsylvania, who learned English as a first language — did it all in German.

“I studied German seven days a week, as well as studying medicine,” Romano said. “It took a lot of discipline, but I knew what I wanted to do and that I was very blessed and lucky to be admitted to medical school.”

From a young age, she knew she wanted to work in medicine, following in her nurse practitioner mother’s footsteps.

“She always made a point that each day was a blessing. It didn’t feel like work to her,” Romano said. “There’s nothing more rewarding than helping people live and live in better ways.”

A woman in a maroon cap and gown with a male professor in a doctorate hood
Alyssa Romano and Associate Professor of German Scott Windham at her graduation from Elon in 2016.

She graduated from medical school in 2023. Now one year into a five-year residency in pediatrics at the Klinikum Friedrichshafen GmbH, she reflected on the ways Elon prepared her for the journey.

While at Elon, Romano spent a semester abroad in Heidelberg, Germany, and realized quickly how much she appreciated German culture and that she wanted to pursue medical studies there. She attained what was at the time the highest score ever achieved by an Elon student on the Deutsche Sprachprüfung für den Hochschulzugang, a language entrance exam required of foreigners studying at German universities.

Her Lumen Prize research under the mentorship of Professor of Chemistry Karl Sienerth examined synthesizing metal catalysts used in drug development. She also won a highly competitive summer research fellowship through the German Academic Exchange Service’s RISE program, allowing her to spend 11 weeks at the University of Heidelberg’s Organic Chemistry Institute. Connecting to her Lumen Prize research, she joined a team that worked on synthesizing new gold catalyst compounds and how they speed up chemical reactions.

Those experiences led her to efficiently complete her doctoral thesis exploring ultrasound diagnostics for musculoskeletal diseases.

a yellow english-to-german medical dictionary and a medical degree on a shelf
Alyssa Romano ’16 displays the English-to-German medical dictionary given to her by Associate Professor Scott Windham as an Elon þ and her medical degree.

She gets emotional when she discusses her Elon professors who supported and encouraged her, especially Sienerth and Associate Professor of German Scott Windham.

“They really believed in me and that meant everything to me,” Romano said. “Dr. Windham gave me a German-to-English medical dictionary, and I kept it with me through my entire medical studies. I knew if these people believed in me, I could do it.”

When she isn’t practicing medicine, Romano coaches a youth swim team, hikes and climbs in the nearby mountains, and visits with friends.

“If I have a day off, I’m not typically sitting at home,” she said. “It’s a huge highlight to get to be social with friends, and that motivates me to get through difficult days.”

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German Studies presents at largest language educator conference in U.S. /u/news/2023/11/27/german-studies-presents-at-largest-language-educator-conference-in-u-s/ Mon, 27 Nov 2023 14:42:41 +0000 /u/news/?p=964363 Elon’s German faculty from the Department of World Languages and Cultures presented at the annual convention of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) held Nov. 16-19 in Chicago. The event draws more than 8,000 language educators from around the world each year.

Associate Professor Scott Windham and Assistant Professor Kristin Lange at ACTFL 2023 in Chicago

Associate Professor Scott Windham and Assistant Professor Kristin Lange presented in a panel on multi-level language courses. Inspired by a student’s idea, they have started þ first and second semester German as one course, i.e. two-course levels in one room. Teaching Elon’s beginning sequence as multi-level courses has boosted the German program’s retention and created a strong sense of community and belonging among our students. Windham and Lange shared details about the developmental process, curriculum, sample assignments and student feedback with a captive audience, as well as highlighted challenges and opportunities that they have experienced with multi-level courses at Elon.

Scott Windham and Kristin Lange presenting on multi-level language courses

Lange also organized a panel on successful and sustainable outreach strategies at all levels. Lange collaborated with colleagues from Montclair State University, Franklin & Marshall College, and Mahopac High & Mahopac Middle Schools, were they shared outreach initiatives with the audience that successfully connected German learners at all levels, from K-12 to college. Lange’s presentation focused on North Carolina German Day, which Elon hosted in March 2023 and which brought over 250 middle and high school students to Elon’s campus.

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Elon hosts second annual Oktoberfest celebration /u/news/2023/10/04/elon-hosts-second-annual-oktoberfest-celebration/ Wed, 04 Oct 2023 20:49:40 +0000 /u/news/?p=960067 On Sept. 26, German Club and the World Languages and Cultures Department hosted Elon’s very own Oktoberfest for the second annual celebration on campus.

As the biggest folk fest in the world, Oktoberfest is widely loved and celebrated, and, despite the name, typically starts in September. Germans dress up in their finest dirndls and lederhosen, enjoy their favorite cultural foods and drinks, sing songs, and much more.

The event at Elon was held in Carlton Commons and offered a myriad of activities like German themed bingo, a photo-booth, German trivia where participants had a chance to win some great prizes, and a visit from a special guest, Assistant Professor of German Kristin Lange’s dog, Schnitzel!

þ enjoying food at the second annual Oktoberfest event at Elon.

þ on the German Club executive team worked diligently cooking up delicious bratwurst for guests to enjoy, along with a plethora of side dishes like sauerkraut, spätzle and of course, pretzels.

This was only Elon’s second time hosting an Oktoberfest event, but it has still made a mark on the student experience.

Betsy Schlehuber ’25 remarked that she had been looking forward to the event and saw it as a really special day. Coming from a German family, she felt that it was a way to connect with her heritage, something she couldn’t do as much before college. Along with that, she shared that it made her excited to go abroad to Germany in the future.

When asked what her favorite part of Oktoberfest was, Alex Ingram ’24 simply replied, “Ich liebe das Essen!” Translation: I love the food!

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Elon’s German Studies Program hosts N.C. German Day /u/news/2023/03/27/elons-german-studies-program-hosts-n-c-german-day/ Mon, 27 Mar 2023 15:50:06 +0000 /u/news/?p=943550 Among foreign languages, French and Spanish get most of the attention in American schools, but Wednesday was German’s time to “scheine.”

More than 250 middle and high school students and their teachers from across the state convened at Elon this week to mark N.C. German Day. In a Moseley Center takeover Wednesday, school teams battled it out in singing, poetry and skit competitions, spelling bees and verb conjugation contests, trivia quizzes and extemporaneous speaking challenges.

Three people on a stage at a podium
Wendy Burgbacher of Cary Academy, left, Assistant Professor of German Kristin Lange and Associate Professor of German Scott Windham welcome participants to N.C. German Day

Even Lakeside Dining Hall got into the spirit, with Harvest Table providing schnitzel and traditional German cuisine for lunch.

Hosted by Elon’s German and German Studies Program, it was the first time the state organization has met in-person since March 2020. Twelve schools participated on campus with others Zooming in remotely for hybrid competitions.

“This is the one thing that most German programs have over our French and Spanish teacher colleagues. There’s no French Day. There’s no Spanish Day,” said Deron Hablutzel of Providence High School in Charlotte. “This encourages the enthusiasm to learn German and that spreads, so it helps build our programs.”

The annual event is organized by the North Carolina chapter of the American Association of Teachers of German to promote education of German language and culture. The chapter founded the event in the 1980s, locating it each year at colleges and universities in the central Piedmont. Elon hosted once before, in 2009.

“German is often the smallest world language program in our respective schools, so our kids might sometimes feel like they’re the only ones learning this language,” said Wendy Burgbacher, a teacher at Cary Academy and NCAATG’s president elect and vice president. “It’s fantastic for them to see all the programs across the state and that never happens anywhere but here.”

Assistant Professor of German Kristin Lange and Associate Professor of German Scott Windham helped organize the event and collect Elon þ volunteers to assist German Day participants.

“We are thrilled that we could host N.C. German Day 2023 and be part of an event where the German community of North Carolina could come together again after COVID,” Lange said. “þ was bustling with excitement for German language and culture”

A group of students in a coffee shop
Elon þs meet with middle and high school students to talk about college life and German Studies inside Irazú.

A clutch of Elon þs stationed themselves in Irazú for open meetings with middle and high schoolers who wanted to learn more about the college application process, life on a campus and about studying world languages in college.

“We’re here to promote the study of German and show students that it does benefit you after high school,” said Kiara McDonald, whose German program in her Colorado high school consisted of about 15 students. A biochemistry major, McDonald says her German Minor classes and participation in the German Club offer a break from a science-heavy course load.

Lange and Windham said feedback from participants was all positive. The event was sponsored by the Department of World Languages and Cultures; German Studies; Elon College, the College of Arts and Sciences; the Dr. Jo Watts Williams School of Education; the Office of Admissions; Elon Dining and Delta Phi Alpha (German Honor Society).

“Because not everyone takes German classes or speaks German, there is a community around the study of German. Our þs and staff helped to build that with this event and to encourage and validate that with these students from around the state,” said Associate Professor of German Scott Windham.

Burgbacher frequently hears from current and former students that German Day is one they reflect on fondly.

“It’s a highlight of the year for our students, and one of the highlights of their high school career when they look back on it. They might forget what they learned in chapter seven, but they remember German Day,” Burgbacher said. “It’s just great fun.”

High school students seated in Alumni Gym cheering
Deron Hablutzel, far left in the front row, and students from Providence High School in Charlotte watch and cheer as results of their competitions are announced.
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Gatti publishes chapter for companion guide to the medieval abbey of Quedlinburg /u/news/2022/12/06/gatti-publishes-chapter-for-companion-guide-to-the-medieval-abbey-of-quedlinburg/ Tue, 06 Dec 2022 19:22:04 +0000 /u/news/?p=933558 Co-authored by Professor of Art History Evan Gatti with  (professor of history of art & architecture at Middlebury College), the chapter, ” A Reliquary Revisited: The Reliquary of St. Servatius and Its Contexts,” appears in (Brill, 2022). The reliquary of St. Servatius has been held in the treasury of the  in Northern Germany since the first decades of the 11th century.

Likely made two hundred years earlier as part of a pair of boxes, the small ivory box (about the size of a shoebox) was later encased in a golden skeleton inlaid with precious gems. The box is decorated with the 12 signs of the zodiac, carved in niches above the heads of the 11 Apostles and Jesus Christ. The place of the creation of the box, its original function and its reuse across generations remain contested.

In the book chapter, and , who have both published on the box independently, come together to discuss the dynamic and interconnected contexts across the box’s long history: from its construction and first uses in the Early and High Middle Ages, through the town’s appropriation and the Abbey Church’s reconsecration by the Nazis during WWII, the theft of items from the church treasury by a U.S. soldier after the war, and the church and town’s designation as in recently re-unified Germany.

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Evan Gatti publishes article on the role of portraiture and medieval bishops /u/news/2022/12/05/evan-gatti-publishes-article-on-the-role-of-portraiture-and-medieval-bishops/ Mon, 05 Dec 2022 16:23:05 +0000 /u/news/?p=933511 Professor of Art History Evan Gatti’s recent publication, “Seeing through Sigebert: A Re-Examination of the Liturgical Portraits of Sigebert of Minden (1022–36),” appears in the latest edition of a journal sponsored by the International Center of Medieval Art. Gesta, one of the most prominent English-language journals focused on medieval art, publishes original research on all facets of artistic production from circa 300 to circa 1500 C.E. in every corner of the medieval world.

Gatti’s article focuses on three extraordinary portraits of Bishop Sigebert of Minden (1022–36) that appear in a set of nine liturgical manuscripts, or books, he had commissioned. Inspired by the unusual presentation of Sigebert’s portraits in an exhibition, Gatti argues that the portraits were more than repetitive, honorific re-presentations of a specific historical figure. Instead, the portraits should be seen as a series of thresholds through which Sigebert and his successors entered into the sacred space of the liturgy. Shaped by the development of liturgical iconographies of episcopal authority and heightened by changes in clerical education that emphasized the physical body as representative of inner virtue, the portraits exemplified the process of becoming a “good” bishop.

Gatti’s research shows how these images helped present and reinforce the relationship between Church and community, providing a lens for us to better understand how one of the most important political and religious forces functioned at that time.

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#ElonGrad 2022 spotlight: Tasia Theoharis, political science and international & global studies /u/news/2022/05/31/elongrad-2022-spotlight-tasia-theoharis-political-science-and-international-global-studies/ Tue, 31 May 2022 12:25:43 +0000 /u/news/?p=915097 Tasia Theoharis, an Elon College Fellow double majoring in political science and international and global studies, is one of six members of the Class of 2022 selected to teach English in a foreign country through the Fulbright U.S. Student Program next academic year. She minored in German studies.

She served as content editor of Pi Sigma Alpha Undergraduate Journal of Politics, which is currently hosted and published by Elon.

Theoharis is a member of Phi Beta Kappa and Phi Kappa Phi national honor societies, as well as Pi Sigma Alpha political science honor society, Sigma Iota Rho international studies honor society and Delta Phi Alpha German honor society.

What faculty say:

“In the past two-and-a-half years, Tasia has been a member of the Pi Sigma Alpha Undergraduate Journal of Politics, which Elon hosts for the Political Science National Honor Society. She has assumed leadership roles in the journal since our term began, and during her senior year has served as a senior editor. She has been one of our most dedicated, reliable students on the board.” – Associate Professor of Political Science and Policy Studies Baris Kesgin

“Tasia took intermediate German her first semester in college in a group that included soon-to-be German majors and applicants for the Fulbright Program. She learned to thrive in that environment, taking pointers from her more experienced peers and committing herself to three additional years of German study. As far as I know, she’s taken a German course every semester in college, even though she long ago fulfilled the requirements for the minor. Tasia’s drive and initiative make her eminently teachable. She embraces critique and uses it to improve her performance. The improvement in her written and spoken German over the last three years is impressive, evidence of her willingness to learn quickly by paying attention to feedback from professors and mentors.” – Associate Professor of German Scott Windham

How did you choose your majors?

I’ve always been interested in political relationships between countries and, more generally, how we affect each other on global scales. Choosing to double-major in these two fields made the most sense and has been the best decision I’ve made at Elon. The courses in both majors work together perfectly to create a more nuanced understanding of how the world works.

What topics did you research and what opportunities came from that work?

I was lucky enough to start þ research as a first-year student when I joined Dr. Laura Roselle’s political communications lab. That first semester, I worked with a group of eight upperclassmen on a project examining RT’s—a Russian news source’s—coverage of the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election. Dr. Roselle presented our work at the International Studies Association conference that spring (2019), which was incredibly exciting. That next year I continued in her lab and began working on a project looking into RT’s coverage of the Middle East in 2016. My research partner and I had been accepted to present that project at the National Conferences on Undergraduate Research in 2020, but were unable to due to the pandemic. I worked on one more research project with Dr. Roselle and Faith Leslie. They were analyzing how the White House newsletters released by the Trump administration defined the international political system.

As an Elon College Fellow, I completed a two-year long thesis project with my research mentor, Dr. Sean Giovanello. At first, I could not come up with a topic to save my life, but Dr. Giovanello had some topics he was interested in. I ended up combining those to form my project, “The Securitization of Outer Space: How Presidential Narratives Explain Outer Space Security.” I wrote case studies of the Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush presidencies and then analyzed those to show how the narratives they used when talking about the outer space policies they were supporting. I presented the President Reagan case study at the 2021 International Studies Association-South Conference on a panel of professors and the President Bush case study at SURF this spring.

Who were your mentors and how did they influence you?

For this, I have to talk about both Dr. Giovanello and Dr. Roselle. They both helped me grow academically and personally in ways I didn’t think established professors would.

Dr. Giovanello has been my biggest cheerleader and advocate since I met him in the J-Term of my first year. He actually helped me get started in Dr. Roselle’s research lab. He’s been an awesome mentor who’s given me the agency to take control of my project and do it at my own pace while still giving me the guidance I needed to end up with a meaningful project.

Dr. Roselle has supported me in and out of the classroom consistently since I met her. This past year especially, she’s helped me gain a new understanding of what I can do with my future and how to be confident in myself. Honestly, I would not be doing Fulbright or going to graduate school without them.

What are your post-Elon plans?

This summer, I will be interning at the Center for European Policy Analysis on their Transatlantic Defense and Security team. I have been recently named a finalist for the Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship in Germany, so I will be moving there in the fall. After that, I will be going to the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies to work toward a Master in International Relations. I’ll spend my first year of graduate school in Bologna, Italy, and my second year in Washington, DC.

What are some of the experiences that made you successful at Elon?

I have so many experiences at Elon that made a huge impact on me and set me up for success, but I guess there are two that really stand out.

The first was studying abroad in Spain and Morocco during J-Term in 2020. In Tangier, Morocco, us students had the opportunity to speak to undocumented immigrant women from around Africa who had gone to Morocco to either seek passage to Europe or to try to earn money in Tangier. Hearing these women’s heartbreaking stories cemented my passion for international relations and made it very clear that I had chosen the right things to study at Elon. I got to connect what I had learned about in the classroom to lived experiences and it gave me a completely unique lens into international politics. I think that experience is ultimately why I have so much interest in living abroad and studying international relations.

Secondly, I would have to say that my experience serving as content editor of the Pi Sigma Alpha Undergraduate Journal of Politics was a turning point for me. I got to work on and oversee a team of about 20 Elon students who had a passion for political science research and creating an opportunity for underrepresented research to be published.

The opportunity to edit a research journal—one that is well respected, even—is something barely any þ student can claim and it has made me a better student and leader. Ultimately, I think this experience helped me realize that I had an interest in think tanks (where policy and research collide) and is why I’m interning at CEPA this summer.

What advice would you give to future Elon students?

Surround yourself with the people who will challenge you and force you to be better. Whether that was my professors, classmates, or friends, it was invaluable for me to have people who were hard workers around me. There are so many places on this campus where you can find amazing role models, so I challenge you to find those people.

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German Honor Society welcomes new members /u/news/2021/05/11/german-honor-society-welcomes-new-members/ Tue, 11 May 2021 14:51:53 +0000 /u/news/?p=864650
Faculty members Kuhn, Lange and Windham with the 2021 Delta Phi Alpha Inductees

Elon’s chapter of Delta Phi Alpha, the national German honor society,  inducted its newest members and celebrated with them on May 5.

Associate Professor Scott Windham and Assistant Professor Kristin Lange welcomed the new inductees and congratulated them on their academic success in German Studies. This year’s inductees showcase the diversity students find in German Studies, both in the multiple fields of study and career opportunities that are represented with them. “Each of you has found their unique path with German Studies, and you have made it your own”, said Assistant Professor Kristin Lange during the ceremony.

The National German Honor Society, known as Delta Phi Alpha, was founded in 1929 and has over 300 chapters in the United States. The society promotes the study of German language, literature and civilization and offers chapter grants and student scholarships. Elon’s chapter, Upsilon Omicron, was founded in 2018.

2021 Delta Phi Alpha Inductees:

Caren Sulexma Aveldañez ’21, Public Health Studies

Cassidy Beal ’21, Cinema & Television Arts

Catherine Howitt ’21, International & Global Studies

Olivia Leggett ’22, Economics

Alexandra Kristin Roberts ’23, International Business Dual Degree

Eliza Hollin Sanders ’21, Creative Writing

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